Summary
Dragon Age: The Veilguardhas been met with wideacclaim and engagementfrom the player base, proving that a ten-year hiatus has done nothing to stop theDragon Ageseries from retaining its popularity and charm. The game has more than a few divisive elements, however, from its change in art style to its handling of content from previous games - or lack thereof. Moreso than other games in the series, however,Veilguardalready has a great foundation of mods from dedicated fans.
These mods range in effects and intensity.Veilguardalready does a good job at havinga customizable experiencefor players to tweak to their liking, but the PC experience has mods that can change a wide variety of factors in the game. In particular, there is a good deal of mods that enhance or alter the graphics ofVeilguardto better shape the game’s aesthetic to the user’s liking.
1Maleficar - Reshade
A Dark And Brooding Visual Style
WhenDragon Age: The Veilguardwas still lurking in the mists of speculation and - let’s face it - development hell, the one thing that was known about the game was that itwould involve Tevinter, and true to form that is what the game begins in.
Named after the dark, brooding brand of blood mages, this mod embodies the visual style of what many thought a TevinterDragon Agewould be. It’s a very brooding, dusky visual experience that can greatly improve the mood of the game.
2Clear View ReShade
Greatly Enhances Graphical Fidelity
This mod is an excellent update to the game’s visuals - it allows players to view theverdant woods of Arlathanor the bright, sunny shores of Rivain in an entirely new light. Clear view doesn’t alter the colors of the game so much as brighten them.
If players like the “exotic” feel this game has to it, a far departure from the more muted color schemes that created a grounded atmosphere in the first three games, then this mod is exactly what they need to enhance this experience.
3Dark Fantasy LUT
Desaturates And “De-Magentas” The Game
Players who spend a lot of time withVeilguard, especially in the game’s menus tweaking armors and browsing the skill tree, will notice that this game has a lot of purple. Alotof purple. Dark Fantasy LUT is similar to Maleficar, but more focused in its design - specifically with tackling the purple parts of the game.
The menus now have a cool and crisp black design where before there was purple, and the game itself, while not having graphics that are drastically changed, gives the shadows and darkness more weight and depth.
4No Coin Explosions
Open Chests In A More Immersive Way
Chests containing highly useful loot are found allacross Northern Thedas, and it’s a common sight in this game to see a chest just out of reach and begin the trek to try and get to it, usually through some acrobatics or puzzles.
The chest opening animation, while an inherently small thing, can feel a bit “video gamey,” in a grounded fantasy world it does take a bit of immersion away to see a chest literally fly open in an explosion of gold. This simple mod removes the overt, sparkly golden particles from the chest opening animation to keep players engaged.
5Neo’s Eye Textures
Greatly Enhances Eye Visuals
Dragon Age: The Veilguardis a very pretty game. The graphical fidelity of this title cannot be understated, but there is always room for improvement. In this case, this small mod greatly enhances the eye textures of characters.
It’s a small change, but one that has an unexpectedly large impact on how players view themselves and NPCs in the world, with eyes suddenly having more vitality and color than before.
6Fantasy DAV ReShade
Reduces Bloom And Enhances Graphics
This game can take some fairly dark turns, especially wherethe faction questsare concerned, and the game doesn’t always match that aesthetic with its visual style. Fantasy DAV ReShade comes in a few variants to address this.
The most well-realized of these variants de-blooms the game and focuses on highlighting light sources of magical and mundane natures, greatly adding to the overall “fantasy” aesthetic of the game.
7No Warning VFX
Makes The Game More Immersive And Difficult
Another mod looking at making this game a little less “video-gamey,” No Warning VFX is a great title for increasing the difficulty of this game in a way that doesn’t turn enemies into massive damage sponges.
With this mod, the game will not have counter icons or AoE icons for large spells, meaning players will need to be far more vigilant in how they address combat and ensure they’re dodging or blocking based on reflex, and not when the game tells them to.
8Fine Dwarven Tatts
Immersive Tattoos For Dwarves
Through a variety of diverse locations, Dwarf fans inDragon Age: The Veilguardare treated to some exceptional lore in this game. This is a great game in general that helps flesh out the Dwarven people.
This minor mod adds some lore-friendly dwarven tattoos to the game so the player can better realize their Dwarven identity. While a minor visual tweak, it’s an immensely satisfying callback to some of the capacities fans have seen Dwarves in prior games.
